Potpourri

I have a ton of stuff floating around in my brain... so this will be a potpourri blog post! :o)

Big families... I want one.  I want lots of kids running around here.  Helping each other, loving each other, teasing... haha, even fighting with each other!!  We got 2 referrals in 2 days for our agency.. and we said YES to both.  Now we wait.  Praying that God would send us the kids he wants.  1 referral was for a 6 month old baby who's legs had been broken and his ear was hurt so bad, he had to have surgery on it.  The other referral was for a 1 yr old girl and a 2 yr old boy who parents can't pass their dr*g screen.  I'm hoping we get one one of the referrals... but I'm putting it all in God's hands.
This past weekend, we did a respite for a 3 yr old boy and his 4 y old sister.  They were very cute kids!  When I agreed to do it, I was thinking I was insane.  Yes, we want a big family, but to go from 3 kids who are very self sufficient to 5 kids, two being little ones, thats a BIG change.  But the weekend went great!  We had fun...the older kids really enjoyed having them and being "big sisters".  Madi even asked me when we are going to get some to "keep".  :o)
So back to the wanting of a big family.  Big families need big homes. Ok, well, bigger than we have.  We have 3 bedrooms, and that means we could have about 6 kids here... but it would be so crowded.  We live in a townhouse that doesnt have a finished basement, so the only "common" areas are a kitchen/dining room combo, and a living room.... and both areas arent that big!  Dont get me wrong... I am very very thankful to have a house.  Its a nice neighborhood, and our community has a pool and fitness center, so we are very thankful.  But I can't help but pray for a bigger house.  It doesnt have to be as nice... just more bedrooms.  More space for little kids to run and play.  A yard. 

Our church is doing a  lot of things to help Haiti.  Building houses for people, sending down teams to help, sending food, money, etc.  But this weekend, they started a new campaign.  There is a pastor down their that has 2,500 people camping in his backyard in a makeshift tent city.  Very makeshift.  So our church started a campaign to buy real tents for the people down there.  I think it was about $120 to buy a tent, and they are pretty nice tents!!  They set one up at the church, they look big enough for a family to sleep in, and I can't imagine trying to take care of a family in a tent city without some privacy.  Even though a tent isnt a real home, I would think it would be a welcome shelter after months of tarps and strings and peices of fallen trees as your only protection from the elements. 
http://www.worshipcenter.org/index.cfm is the link to our church.  You can find info about the houses they are building for Haiti as well as the tents there! 

Last thing... My best friend and her husband and 2 kids came from Illinois to visit this week, and we all had such a nice time  just chatting and relaxing, and playing with the kids.  I just wanted to thank God for such a wonderful and steadfast friend.  We have been friends since my middle school years, and I am so blessed to have her.  God rocks! :o)